Sleep.
The word alone can give many of us anxiety just thinking about it.
If you’re one of them, there are typically one of two issues (or both) that you are dealing with:
1. Having trouble getting to sleep
and/or
2. Having trouble staying asleep
Either one of these sound familiar?
Around the age of 40, sleep issues become more noticeable and more prevalent. Hormones are shifting in which progesterone (for women) and testosterone (for men) are declining, resulting in frustrating sleep.
This may also be accompanied by unwanted weight gain, fluctuating energy levels, and moodiness. Not to mention chronic or acute stress that could be attributing to fluctuations in hormones and sleep.
However, natural medicine has some excellent options for helping with these sleep issues. We find this is one of the most treated issues we deal with and want to share our top 5 herbal supplements to help a good night’s rest.
1. CORTISOL MANAGER
With changing hormones comes our sensitivity to cortisol produced in our body. In regard to sleep, this means that we may have a difficult time calming our brains and nervous systems enough to fall asleep and when we do, we may find ourselves up for hours, particularly between the hours of 1am-3am.
A cortisol manager consisting of ashwaganda, magnolia bark, and L-theanine helps relax the brain to fall asleep and supports our system in being less sensitive to cortisol which helps us stay asleep.
We particularly recommend Integrative Therapeutics® Cortisol Manager. This can be purchased through us at (303) 688-6898 or our online store and can be shipped anywhere.
2. TIME-RELEASED MELATONIN
You may have heard that melatonin helps with sleep – and yes, it does! However, we find it crucial to use a certain type of melatonin for best results.
Melatonin can help with falling asleep, but a time-released melatonin can help with staying asleep.
We advise starting out with a 3mg time-released melatonin (they typically range from 1-5mg) and tweaking from there. Note that it may take a few weeks to see optimal results.
3. NEUROCALM
If you can’t seem to shut your mind off and find yourself thinking about everything from the activities of your day to what you’re going to wear on your next vacation, then finding an herbal supplement to calm your mind can be priceless.
With functional amounts of GABA, L-theanine, vitamins B6 and B12, and magnesium glycinate, NeuroCalm can bring peace to your racing mind, calming the neurons and relaxing your brain for sleep.
This is a product that can be used for both day and night and may be beneficial for bringing serenity to daily life as well as nighttime anxiety.
4. 5-HTP
5-Hydroxytroptophan (5-HTP) is a chemical produced in the body that is a pre-cursor to serotonin. It helps the brain and nervous system create serotonin, necessary for sleep.
Typically, we recommend starting out at 100mg and adjusting from that point.
5. PROGESTERONE DROPS
If hormones are shifting and sleep is an issue, there may be a loss in progesterone causing the changes. Progesterone is a hormone that brings on relaxation and processes cortisol. When progesterone levels are low, sensitivity to cortisol is high and can cause anxiety, restlessness, and…sleeplessness.
If hormone testing shows low progesterone, natural progesterone drops can be key to getting back to good sleep. As with other supplements, it may take a day to a month to experience the effects as the body is slowly gaining progesterone back.
We recommend and can help you order Bezwecken ProgonB-L 4x™. These drops are placed under your tongue at night to quiet the brain and nervous system for productive sleep.
Bottom line…sleep issues are not easy. They can be nerve-wracking, anxiety-filled, frustrating, and downright depressing. But there is hope for better sleep and we can help!
If you’re experiencing sleep issues and/or hormonal imbalances and live outside of the Denver / Colorado Springs area, please don’t hesitate to contact us at (303) 688-6698 for a free 15 minute phone consultation with Dr. Graves. Explain your issues and your frustrations and learn how he can help prescribe supplements that target your specific sleep issue.
For those living in Castle Rock, Castle Pines, Parker, Highlands Ranch, Centennial, Monument, Larkspur, Colorado Springs, or other Denver metro areas, we encourage you to start with your free 15 minute phone consultation or make an in-person appointment here.
Leave a Reply